This Tiny Lap Dog Thinks He Owns the Road

When I’m cycling down the car-filled roads of Austin, I often feel like I’m like one of those tiny lap dogs who has never looked in the mirror and totally thinks he’s a raging pit bull. You know the kind I’m talking about. They weigh 3 pounds and are only a few inches high, but stand in the face of big dogs (and other animals) like they are ten feet tall.

That’s probably the best way I can describe how I feel when out riding. I may be only 125 pounds and riding a 52cm bike frame, but I honestly don’t feel intimidated by any vehicle, animal, or anything else when I’m out there. I once wrote about feeling like a Giant on my Bike, and how my “Bike Confidence” almost got me in a heap of trouble with the 250 pound dude behind the wheel of his monster truck. But this lap dog/pit bull feeling is slightly different.

Now I’m not trying to say that this attitude is the ideal approach to take on your riding, and I’m certainly not suggesting you follow along with my lunatic “attitude”….but for some reason this is the persona I take on while riding my bike. Off my bike, there’s no way I would likely do the things that I do out there.

bing.com’s Week of Riding

This week has been dedicated to bing.com’s week of riding for their Summer of Doing promotion, and today’s post goes out to all of our new followers who found us through bing as well as all our loyal members of the Loving the Bike Army. Above all else, what I wish to accomplish most over here at Loving the Bike is to inspire more people to take up cycling and to fall in love with it. It’s part of a great lifestyle of living and I sure do hope there are a bunch of people yelling out “I’m Loving the Bike” this week…..and always.

I’m looking for some advice. Off topic I know, but anyway….doing a 50 miler tomorrow, and I don’t know which bike to choose. Trek Madone with a triple up front, and Ultegra/105 mixed components, or Fezzari, which is 1.5 pounds lighter, has a compact up front, and Dura Ace components….any suggestions?
Thanks

Perfect. Riding on the road requires you to be confident. You need to look and feel and BE ten times bigger than you are. I think when possible eye contact is important, and that may seem crazy but you actually CAN make eye contact with a driver in a car across an intersection. You need to do everything you can to make sure people are truly aware of your presence.
I love to ride road bikes. Period. I am not going to give that up, even in light of some terrible things that have happened to fellow riders. I will just do my best to make good riding choices, obey road rules, ride in the lowest traffic areas I can, etc etc etc, But I am going to ride, and I am going to be a big dog while doing it.
Love your blogs Darryl, and your attitude, keep it coming.

You definitely have to “own your space” out there. Let people know you are there. For myself, I kind of turn off the fear of getting hit or run down. If it happens, well at least I was doing something that I absolutely love. I will not let fear dictate my life. As Darryl said, we deserve to be out there just as much as vehicles (OK maybe a little more). I squeeze into traffic, through cars at a stand still and just go about my business because simply being on my bike is one of the best joys I have. I also have more of an offensive attitude as well. I don’t react to situations, I try to foresee them and act accordingly, if that makes sense.

For the most part I am confident on the road. But I do have times where I get intimidated. More because of reckless drivers of those who are not paying attention. No matter how big of a dog you are out there, you can’t do anything about those sorts of poeple.

Thanks JJ. You’ve got that right. We can do all we can, but we still put our lives in the hands of the drivers out there. Let’s hope that people who drive cars think about that before picking up their cell phone or getting distracted.

My question is other than juice, can you suggest modifications in lieu of table sugar for energy and hydration.

Answer:

Both raw/organic honey or agave can work great in the homebrew (substitute in the same quantities for the sugar, or to taste), but you do have to shake well in order to make sure they don’t settle out. Have you tried either of these? Also, make sure to use at least the minimum amount of salt recommended in the homebrew as the temps rise, you need the sodium replacement if you’re sweating.